DesComm - Good Design

Assignment: What is your definition of good design? Give some examples.

My definition of good design is a design that is functional, aesthetically pleasing, and solves a problem. There are enough 'designs' out there that are pretty, but some of them can be pretty useless. I don't think the world needs more junk. That's where art comes in. Pretty stuff without a purpose (aside from getting people to talk about it) is art, not design. Design needs to solve a problem. It has to make something better. The best example I can think of right now is the three teapots that Donald A. Norman uses in his introduction in his book 'Emotional Design'. He owns the three teapots in the picture below.

The first was created by the French artist Jacques Carelman. This is not design, this is art. The second was designed by Michael Graves, called Nanna. The third is the tilting pot made by the German firm Ronnefeldt. The Carelman pot is, by intent, impossible to use. The Nanna teapot looks clumsy, but actually works rather well. The tilting pot is made with deep consideration of the stages of tea brewing: place the tea leaves on the interior shelf and lay the pot on its back while the leaves steep. Then, as the brew approaches the desired strength, tip the pot up to a tilt, partially covering the tea leaves. When the tea is ready, stand the pot upright, so that the leaves are out of the liquid, preventing the tea from becoming bitter. And finally, when the teapot is empty, remove the cover, signaling the waiter that more hot water would be welcome. -Donald A. Norman, 'Emotional Design'

The first teapot is not design, it's art. It was created by an artist and proclaimed as such. The second was made by a designer and while it works, it's not, in my opinion, good design. Its not hard to make something functional, you also have to make something pretty or clever somehow to make it on to my list. The third is good design. The teapot functions in a neat way and is pretty. It takes into consideration all the steps in the process of making tea and simplifies it for the user. It is a good solution and good design.